


In peaceful days

by EnlacingLines



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Children, Cute, Dimitri loves his wife, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family, Family Feels, Gift Fic, M/M, Post-Blue Lions Route (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Post-War, Sylvain loves his husband
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22619602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnlacingLines/pseuds/EnlacingLines
Summary: He adds on his eye patch, an automatic movement as he yawns his way towards the cradle, where the cries instantly stop at his approach. That alone makes his heart stutter and his smile grow.“I know, it’s morning. Shall we go find you some breakfast?” he says softly, and then leans down to lift his daughter from her cradle.A peaceful morning post Blue Lions route.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 14
Kudos: 230





	In peaceful days

**Author's Note:**

  * For [interstelklance (ravenlily)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenlily/gifts).



> Dimileth and Sylvain, my two OTPs. Yet it's taken me this long to write Dimileth for some reason. Anyway. 
> 
> Happy birthday to my wonderful, lovely friend Audrey! This is a small gift for you; I'm so happy to have met you and I hope you're having the best day. 
> 
> Valania, thank you so much for not only betaing and once again helping me name this, but doing both so quickly. You are amazing. 
> 
> So, I give you: Dimileth and Sylvix parents. Because it's what they deserve.

The cry wakes him; a now built-in response which has Dimitri snapping awake instantly. It’s early morning, a rarity that makes something akin to pride rise in his chest as the clear rays of dawn spill across the bedroom. 

Next to him, Byleth starts to sit up, although her eyes are still completely closed, responding on instinct just like him. But her exhaustion makes it easy to sit up faster and coax her gently down. She makes a noise of protest, but he kisses her temple, brushing a hand through her sleep mussed hair. 

“Go back to sleep, beloved. I’ll get her,” he says. 

She makes a contented sound, and Dimitri just takes a second to relive the moment of his wife falling back into peaceful slumber, curled up against his arm with the morning sunlight shining across her. She is radiant, she’s real, and here; things he is grateful for every second of the day. 

But he cannot linger. With slight regret, he extracts his arm slowly, smiling as she turns over into the space where his body once occupied. He gets up slowly, dusting the vague impressions of sleep from his mind and body, the ever present slight ache in his limbs firing up as he walks across the room. 

He adds on his eye patch, an automatic movement as he yawns his way towards the cradle, where the cries instantly stop at his approach. That alone makes his heart stutter and his smile grow. 

“I know, it’s morning. Shall we go find you some breakfast?” he says softly, and then leans down to lift his daughter from her cradle. Seren makes a gurgling sound of high agreement, and Dimitri laughs a little. 

“I will assume that means you’re hungry, so I will be as fast as I can. But let’s make sure mum stays asleep,” he whispers into her cheek. 

He gets no words of agreement, but rocks her, stepping in time for a few moments until she’s fully settled enough for him to place her back down to change. Over the last six months he’s become an expert in changing swiftly—in doing many things with strange efficiency in the blur of the strange new world which is parenthood. 

Seren is beginning to get frustrated again so he collects her up just in time, giving one last glance over towards the bed. Byleth is still thankfully asleep, so the two steal out of the room quickly. 

Of course, despite the early hour, many are awake. It is a slow time of the moon with no particular meetings on the horizon, but there are constant guests, as well as staff working. He greets all those he passes, and heads straight down to the breakfast rooms. one of the staff there asks for his order this morning as he takes a seat. He is the only one there so far, but he knows that won’t be the case for long. So it’s nice to be able to spend time with Seren.

She is of course a clear favourite in many people’s eyes, not just his own, and as such, she gains a certain amount of fussing from all who see her. It’s wonderful—touching— how much his friends and fellows love her, but the quiet times with just his own three person family are always treasured. 

He fixes Seren in her chair just in time for the cook to bring out a steaming plate of breakfast and tea, as well as the warmed baby food. He thanks her, then turns his attention to Seren, who is blinking in curiosity at his food. 

“No, not for you just yet. But I made this for you yesterday, just how you like it,” he says, taking up a small spoon and offering the mixture to her. 

Which makes her scrunch up her face and lock her mouth closed tightly. Dimitri sighs. 

“Seren, darling you like this, you were eating it two days ago,” he says with another sigh, but she does not budge. Her face screws up in eerily familiar expression that reminds him so much of his wife when she has an idea she is hellbent on seeing through. 

Usually the opposing idea to his own. 

“But I thought you were hungry, hmm?” he says, taking away the spoon, mixing it around in the bowl as if he gives her a different part of the food it will be more appetising, takes a sip of his own tea, and then offers her another spoonful. 

She once again refuses, this time shaking her head and getting some of the mixture in her hair at the same time. Dimitri groans, puts the spoon down and picks up a napkin so slowly wipe her down. She doesn’t like this either and tries to wriggle away, as apparently she’d prefer to start today wearing her breakfast rather than eating it. 

And it doesn’t get better. 

He manages to eat some of his food, only for Seren to get upset whenever she isn't offered food from his own plate. He tried eating a small part of her food, but she is apparently too smart for her own good and knows it’s a trick. Again, just like her mother, always seeing through him. 

Dimitri tries Pegasus noises, horse noises and attempts to mimic a Wyvern, which does make her laugh yet still, she isn’t eating. But stubbornness is also his trait as well as Byleth’s, and he is not going to let his baby daughter walk all over him. 

“I made this with my own two hands, and you are going to eat it,” he says seriously with a hint of desperation as she shakes her head for what might be the hundredth time. 

“Why are you making baby food? You know you don’t have to do that, right?” 

He turns as Sylvain walks into the room, his arms full of his own very sad looking daughter. Dimitri greets her with a smile, and she lifts her head from Sylvain’s shoulder, eyes a little wet. 

“Dima,” she says, and Sylvain kisses her head with a grin. 

Beatrix, at just over one year old, can say exactly three words: Dada, something that’s not quite cat but very close, and Dima. Felix has been angry since the first time she said it. 

“How is she?” Dimitri asks, and Sylvain sighs as he takes a seat next to him. Seren follows his every movement, because of course Sylvain is her favourite uncle. 

“Didn’t have a good night did you, sweetheart? But the tooth infection should be going down over the next few days. They’ve given her a potion which should work. Kinda tough when there’s not much magic safe for kids. But we are gonna have some milk with honey and not tell your dad, okay?” he says, and she manages a smile, although Dimitri can tell she’s still in pain. 

Children are meant to build up their own tolerance against disease, so they try not to use healing magic until they’re older. But as Dimitri knows all too well know, it’s incredibly difficult watching your child suffer even the slightest of pains. 

Sylvain looks exhausted as well, worse than Dimitri’s seen him since he and Felix first adopted Beatrix when she was barely three months old. They’d found her as the lone survivor of a demonic beast attack, and the local people seemed to think she was bad luck for doing so. He hadn’t expected the end result, but he can’t think of any two people better suited as parents. They adored her from the first time she threw up all over Sylvain when he held her. 

As if sensing his recollections, across from him, Beatrix squirms in Sylvain’s lap and reaches forward to Dimitri imploringly. Sylvain laughs. 

“Want to swap? I’ll see if I can help get the little Princess to eat,” he says, and Dimitri gratefully accepts the offer. 

Then watches in grudging acceptance as Sylvain manages to get Seren to start eating almost immediately with minimum fuss. Once again, her favourite uncle strikes. So he in turn helps Beatrix drink her honey milk, after Sylvain strictly decides precisely how much honey she’s allowed, (even though Felix tried to impose a rule about sweet things for breakfast), then takes her to the window. 

While Sylvain chatters to Seren and helps her eat the last of her breakfast, he lets Beatrix sit on his shoulders and watch the Pegasus flyers do their morning exercises. 

“Are you going to be a flyer like aunt Ingrid?” he asks, as she claps her hands and laughs at the sight, momentarily forgetting the ache in her tooth. 

“Felix would have a heart attack. He panics when she’s too close to them. Although I think she might be some sort of cat whisperer—there’s five alone in the palace who follow her everywhere,” Sylvain says, walking up beside him, Seren now cradled in his arms. 

“I bet that one Felix approves of,” Dimitri counters, making Sylvain laugh. 

“What are you going on about now?” Calls a stern familiar voice across the room, making both of them spin on their heels. 

Felix strides into the room, looking vaguely annoyed and tired, although less so than Sylvain. At the slight, Beatrix calls out “Dada!” loudly from Dimitri’s shoulders and immediately Felix’s face smooths over into such pure adoration, Dimitri cannot help but smile as he slowly lowers her from his shoulders. 

Felix, who had his own family shredded to pieces by Glenn’s death, now has one of his own after so long. One he truly feels he belongs to. 

Dimitri passes over Beatrix, who immediately cuddles into Felix, who sweeps her from side to side. He looks over at Sylvain with a frown. 

“Did you get any sleep? You look terrible,” he says, 

Sylvain shrugs. “A little, she woke up about 2 though,” he says. 

Felix’s frown deepens, but he turns away to look at his daughter, checking her fever and generally searching for any signs of injury. As he does, Dimitri turns to Sylvain, who hands Seren back, even though she whines a little at it. 

“Why didn’t you wake me?” Felix asks, and Dimitri starts to slip away, knowing this is becoming a more private conversation. He can thank Sylvain later for his help. 

“Because you were exhausted, Felix, you’ve barely slept. I can nap later,” he hears Sylvain say, and Dimitri makes a mental note to offer to look after Beatrix for a few days once she’s better, give the two some time to recover themselves. 

Although he’ll probably have to get Byleth to offer, seeing as Felix won’t accept it coming from him. While their relationship is better than ever, there are still some aspects that are taking time. Like all things, the years they spent in suffering from all sides of wars from their own generation and before, the events that took hours to occur take years to heal. 

“Your Highness,” 

He turns, and Seren makes a joyous high pitched noise as Dedue and Byleth walk towards them. Seren wriggles insistently, and Byleth increases her pace until she meets them, Dimitri lifting his daughter up so she can kiss her cheek. 

“Good morning, my tiny star. Did dad make you breakfast?” she says, leaning back but also into Dimitri, who wraps his free arm around her. 

“I did, but she would only eat it when Sylvain fed her,” he replies, and Byleth laughs, which causes Seren to try and grab at her hair. 

Dimitri can sympathise. Byleth laughing is a sound that he wants to capture, keep and make sure she utters as frequently as possible. He remembers the first time he saw her smile vividly; even through the mess of his mind in that time, the memory of that moment is frozen solidly. 

He perhaps fell in love with her that day. And each time she laughs, he falls more and more, no matter how many years go by, he is still struck by how much care he has for this woman. 

“Your Highness, there are a few missives to look over today. Although I feel Lady Byleth’s presence would be of help,” Dedue says, and Dimitri gives him a smile, grateful his friend can sense that he would like to spend as much time as possible today with his family. 

“If that would suit you, beloved?” he asks. 

Byleth stands on her tiptoes, and gives his cheek a lingering kiss, her touch and presence a calming balm he didn’t know he needed. 

“Of course. Let’s go,” she says, then gives Seren one last kiss before striding ahead with Dedue, the two instantly falling back into whatever conversation they were having before his arrival. 

And Dimitri once again takes a moment just to live. To see one of his closest friends talk closely with the woman he loves, to watch her stride through the halls of his home, being a part of it as he always hoped she would. 

Feels the weight and presence of his daughter in his arms. Feels the world he fought for tick over for a few seconds, his own inhalation and exhalation confirming he is here, this is real, and it is his. 

He walks forward to catch up, allowing his daughter’s laughter to carry him forward into his day. 

**Author's Note:**

> Seren: Welsh name meaning 'star'  
> Beatrix: meaning 'blessed'
> 
> Yeah I spent too long looking at names...
> 
> (Thanks to my dad for inspiring one line, as he apparently nearly cried in frustration once when I refused to eat food he'd made.) 
> 
> I will most likely come back to this universe for more family fics, but in the meantime, you can find me on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/EnlacingL/)


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